WBBL08 match preview: Sydney Sixers v Melbourne Renegades

Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the latest encounter in the 2022 Weber WBBL

What's the match?

Sydney Sixers take on Melbourne Renegades in match 37 of the WBBL; the eighth edition of the tournament.

When is it taking place?

The game is scheduled to start at 3pm local time (4am BST) on Thursday, November 9.

Where is the match being played?

The game will be played in Melbourne at the Junction Oval.

Who's got the form?

Two sides in contrasting form. Sydney Sixers are second in the table with six wins from eight matches and two games in hand over table-topping Brisbane Heat, who lead them by two points. Melbourne Renegades, meanwhile, have won just two matches in WBBL08 and have lost seven of their past eight.

Sydney Sixers' strength is their squad depth, with no fewer than five players scoring 150-plus runs and Ellyse Perry, Erin Burns and Suzie Bates all scoring multiple half-centuries. With the ball, Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Cheatle and Maitlan Brown have taken a combined 49 wickets.

For Melbourne Renegades, Courtney Webb is their leading run-scorer, scoring 195 runs at a strike rate of 95.58, while Sophie Molineux has dominated with the ball, picking up 11 wickets. Shabnim Ismail has nine wickets and an economy of 6.6 while Ella Hayward has conceded just 5.16 runs per over.

When the two sides met earlier in the competition, Sydney Sixers won by 37 runs.

^{Ashleigh Gardner has been one of the standout performers for Sydney Sixers [Mark Evans/Getty Images]}

What's the key match-up?

The challenge for Melbourne Renegades is how they cope with spin. In their previous meeting, Ecclestone and Gardner both had productive outings with the ball, taking 2 for 18 and 1 for 21, respectively.

Ecclestone's two wickets were particularly crucial, with both Hayley Matthews and Webb falling to her bowling inside the powerplay.

If Sydney Sixers can remove those two early, it's hard to see Renegades posting or chasing a competitive total.

What's the weather forecast?

Rain could disrupt the match in Melbourne.

What is the team news?

Stella Campbell has been added to Sydney Sixers' matchday squad.

Paris Bowdler comes into the Renegades squad as a replacement player for Ellie Falconer, who will miss the remainder of the competition for personal reasons.

^{Sophie Molineux has impressed for Melbourne Renegades [Steve Bell/Getty Images]}

What are the squads?

Sydney Sixers: Ellyse Perry (c), Jade Allen, Suzie Bates, Nicole Bolton, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Sophie Ecclestone, Ash Gardner, Ange Genford, Alyssa Healy, Kate Peterson

Melbourne Renegades: Sophie Molineux, Sarah Coyte, Josie Dooley, Ellie Falconer (unavailable - personal reasons, replaced by Paris Bowdler), Ella Hayward, Shabnim Ismail, Harmanpreet Kaur (injured, partially replaced by Eve Jones, permanently replaced by Chamari Atapattu), Carly Leeson, Hayley Matthews, Rhiann O’Donnell, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Georgia Prestwidge, Erica Kershaw

What are the possible starting XIs?

Sydney Sixers: Alyssa Healy, Suzie Bates, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Erin Burns, Maitlan Brown, Sophie Ecclestone, Nicole Bolton, Ange Genford, Lauren Cheatle, Kate Peterson

Melbourne Renegades: Hayley Matthews, Chamari Atapattu, Josie Dooley, Sophie Molineux, Courtney Webb, Carly Leeson, Rhiann O'Donnell, Georgia Prestwidge, Ella Hayward, Sarah Coyte, Shabnim Ismail

What are the odds?

Sydney Sixers are available at 1/4 while Melbourne Renegades are at 10/3.

What's the prediction?

Despite losing their most recent match, Sydney Sixers are a team in form and have match-winners throughout their XI. Sydney Sixers win.

Are tickets available?

Yes. Adult tickets are $10 while juniors (1-17) can watch the game for free. Tickets are available at Ticketek.

Where can I watch the game?

Sky Sports holds the UK rights for the WBBL. This game will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event.

In Australia, fans will be able to watch all 59 matches in the WBBL live and free on either the Seven Network or cricket.com.au

A total of 24 games will be televised on free-to-air on Seven and simulcast on Foxtel and Kayo, while the remaining 35 games will be shown on Foxtel and Kayo Sports and also live-streamed for free on cricket.com.au.